Social Inclusion and Common Values: the Contribution in the Field of Education and Training

Date de clôture : 22 févr. 2020  
APPEL À PROJET CLÔTURÉ

1. INTRODUCTION – BACKGROUND

Lot 1: General education and training

The European Union is committed to supporting Member States in fostering social inclusion and in building cohesive societies.

Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union states that ‘The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail’.

The European Pillar of Social Rights1 supports ‘the right to quality and inclusive education, training and lifelong learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that enable [everyone] to participate fully in society and manage successfully transitions in the labour market.’

On 14 December 2017, the European Union’s Heads of State and Government2 confirmed the key role of education and culture in building inclusive and cohesive societies, and in sustaining our competitiveness. Furthermore, they stressed the need for an inclusive, lifelong-learning-based and innovation-driven approach to education and training and recalled their willingness - expressed at the Gothenburg summit - to do more in these areas, in which the EU plays an important supplementing and supporting role.

The Council Recommendation of 22 May 2018 on promoting common values, inclusive education, and the European dimension of teaching3 aims at promoting common values at all levels of education and fostering inclusive education, in line with the 2015 Paris Declaration4, as well as to supporting teachers and teaching and encouraging a European dimension of teaching. It encourages Member States and the Commission to share good practice and information and to develop policies at both national and EU levels.

Promoting equity, social cohesion and active citizenship is one of the strategic objectives of the Strategic Framework for European Cooperation in Education and Training (ET 2020). Relevant and high-quality knowledge, skills and competences developed throughout lifelong learning, focusing on learning outcomes for employability, innovation, active citizenship and well-being are among the priority areas for European cooperation in this context, as highlighted also under the European Agenda for Adult Learning5.

Common EU values are the bedrock of our democracies and a reflection of who we are. They are especially relevant against the background of challenges such as populism, xenophobia, divisive nationalism, discrimination, the spreading of fake news and misinformation, or the risk of violent radicalisation, which can undermine our democratic foundations and institutions and the trust in the rule of law, and hinder a common sense of belonging within and amongst European societies.

Access to education and training for 2all continues to improve in Europe as a whole. However, ensuring quality education and training for all, at all ages, remains a challenge for many countries, and a significant educational gap persists. Inequality is increasing and has a negative impact on access and learning outcomes, since education and training systems tend to reproduce existing patterns of socio-economic status.

There is strong evidence6 that educational inequalities and students’ socio-economic background are linked. Students from poorer households are three times more likely to perform worse than their wealthier counterparts, and students of migrant background are more than twice as likely to be low achievers as other students. It should be noted that the educational background of parents also often influences the educational trajectories of their children, hence the need to improve learning opportunities at all stages of life.

Lot 2: Adult education: Networks and partnerships of Adult Education providers

The Council Resolution of 20 December 2011 on a Renewed European Agenda for Adult Learning 7 is the EU reference text on adult learning policy. The European Pillar of Social rights further strengthens the agenda, through its first principle setting out the right to quality and inclusive education, training and lifelong learning for all. It notes that adult learning can contribute, inter alia “to tackling issues such as the education and social inclusion of migrants, Roma and disadvantaged groups (which) require concerted action in both school and adult education”.

The Agenda endeavours to “enhance the possibilities for adults, regardless of gender and their personal and family circumstances, to access high-quality learning opportunities at any time in their lives, in order to promote personal and professional development, empowerment, adaptability, employability and active participation in society”.

It aims to “ensure the comprehensive provision of high-quality formal and non-formal education and training for adults aimed at acquiring key competences or leading to qualifications at all levels of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), supported by civil society and the social partners, as well as by local authorities”.

In December 2016, the Council Recommendation on Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for Adults reaffirmed the importance of investing in the development of skills, knowledge and competences of low-skilled adults, as a way to reduce unemployment, and combat poverty and social exclusion.

In 2018, there were almost 60 million people, more than a quarter of the Union population aged 25-64, who had left initial education and training with at most a lower secondary education qualification.

Participation in learning by lower-qualified adults remains four times lower than participation by those with tertiary qualifications. Access to learning opportunities during adulthood remains uneven across socioeconomic groups, and some groups of the working-age population have less access. Encouraging wide and inclusive participation is therefore key to the success of upskilling measures. Efforts to reach out to individuals who need special motivation, and lifelong guidance and support, especially those furthest away from the labour market or education and training, are essential.

Moreover, all adults should participate more in learning, in the interest of their professional and personal lives and well-being. In 2018, the average participation rate was 11% and the Union’s target of 15% adult participation in learning by 2020 will not be met. Providers of all kinds of adult education need to work together to achieve more equitable and higher rates of participation.

Although adult education can contribute significantly to social inclusion - by enabling adults to improve their ability to adapt to changes in the labour market and society - adult education ‘systems’ are characterised by their fragmented nature, complexity and wide variety of actors. To be future-proof, policy initiatives in the field of adult education need to be known at grassroots level, be implemented effectively and have systemic impact. This requires a strong network of providers, with sound institutional capacity to be active in their local communities but also to link up in national and cross-national networks.

For the purposes of this call, providers are understood as:

•   any public and private adult education organisations and centres that deliver education and training, guidance, counselling or validation arrangements to adults;

•   Bodies addressing the learning needs of people with disabilities and people in specific situations of exclusion from learning, e.g. seniors, people in hospitals, care homes and prisons, etc.;

•   Cultural organisations (such as museums, libraries, etc.), civil society, sporting organisations and other bodies providing creative and innovative settings for non- formal and informal adult learning; and

•   Higher and vocational education and training institutions opening to less traditional groups of learners, such as adult learners.

This call addresses the contribution of education and training, including adult education, to promoting social inclusion and the sharing of common values against the background outlined above.

The management of this call is delegated by the European Commission to the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, hereinafter referred to as "the Agency".

 

2. OBJECTIVES, KEY FEATURES AND EXPECTED RESULTS

2.1 Objectives

This call for proposals will support transnational cooperation projects in the fields of general education and training and adult education.

The call comprises two lots, one for general education and training (Lot 1) and one for adult education (Lot 2).

 

Each application must address one general objective and one of the specific objectives, which are listed separately for Lot 1 and for Lot 2.

Both the general and specific objectives of the call are exhaustive: proposals that do not address them will not be considered.

2.1.1 Lot 1: General education and training

General objectives

Projects submitted under this lot should aim at:

1. Disseminating and/or scaling up good practices on inclusive learning initiated in particular at local level. In the context of the present call, scaling up means replicating good practice on a wider scale/transferring it to a different context or implementing it at a higher/systemic level;

or

Projects under Lot 1 are encouraged to involve role models as an integral part of their activities.

Specific objectives
Proposals should address one of the following specific objectives:

1. a)  Enhancing the acquisition of social and civic competences, fostering knowledge, understanding and ownership of values and fundamental rights;

2. b)  Promoting inclusive education and training and fostering the education of disadvantaged learners, including through supporting educational staff in addressing diversity and reinforcing diversity among education staff;

3. c)  Enhancing critical thinking and media literacy among learners, parents and educational staff;

4. d)  Supporting the inclusion of newly arrived migrants in good quality education, including by assessing knowledge and validating prior learning;

5. e)  Fostering digital skills and competences of digitally excluded groups (including older people, migrants and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds) though partnerships between schools, business and the non-formal sector, including public libraries.

 

2. Developing and implementing innovative methods and practices to foster inclusive education and promote common values.

 

2.1.1.2. Key features of the projects submitted under the present lot

In line with the objective of Erasmus+ Key Action 3 to support policy reform, projects should demonstrate the capacity to generate impact not only on the partner organisations but also at the systemic level, e.g. generating multiplier effects at territorial or sector-specific level, attracting or involving major players or networks – including from the private sector, obtaining support from public authorities, enhancing awareness and visibility of activities or outputs, etc.

•   Projects focussing on dissemination/upscaling should primarily build on actions for which solid proof of their effectiveness can be provided and which show potential for being disseminated and/or scaled up.

•   Projects focussing on innovative practices in education and training should demonstrate their innovative character building on the outcomes of previous analyses, evaluations and pilot actions.

•   Projects cutting across sectors and involving non-formal learning are encouraged to create synergies between education, training, youth, culture and sport.

Proposals should include the following elements:

•   Context and rationale justifying the proposed actions, including the challenges to be addressed at local level and the assessment of the needs of the target group(s);

•   Description of the policies and practices to be disseminated and/or scaled up (e.g. courses, teaching materials, use of role models, recommendations) or of the innovative approach proposed, including supporting evidence.

•   Description of the strategy and methodology for implementation of the proposed action, in particular of the relevant concrete activities (e.g. adaptation to new context, testing, training, capacity building, awareness-raising activities, etc.).

•   Description of the evaluation methods, which should be integral part of the project and should provide evidence on the effectiveness of the activities;

•   Plans for follow-up (replication or up-scaling in other sectors, areas, target groups, integration at systemic level, etc.) showing the project sustainability, including possible funding through EU (e.g. Erasmus+, European Structural and Investment Funds, European Fund for Strategic Investment) or national funds.

  Synergies with other projects are encouraged, including:

•   Other (on-going or completed) European projects on citizenship education and engagement and intercultural understanding under Erasmus+ (including the joint EU-Council of Europe schemes “Human Rights and Democracy in action” and Democratic and Inclusive School Culture in Operation (DISCO) and the predecessor European programmes in education and training;

•   The activities supported by the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). -8-

2.1.1.3 Expected results

Projects should lead to results such as:

•   increased awareness, knowledge and understanding of good practices in the relevant educational institutions and communities;

•   increased use of state of the art innovative approaches in policy or practice ;

•   increased awareness, motivation and competence of educational leaders and educators with regard to inclusive educational approaches and the promotion of common values;

•   active engagement of families and local communities in supporting inclusive educational approaches and the promotion of common values;

•   more widespread and effective tools to support education and training institutions and learning providers in implementing inclusive education approaches and in promoting common values.

Examples of activities

Activities aimed at achieving the expected results listed above could include:

•   Cooperation and networking models which involve combinations of relevant (public/private) stakeholders across different sectors;

•   Adapting and applying learning practices to new target populations;

•   Conferences, seminars, workshops and meetings with policy and decision makers;

•   Assessing, sharing and validating good practices and learning experiences;

•   Training and other capacity-building activities (e.g. for teachers, local authorities, prison staff, etc.);

•   Supportive approaches and outreach practices from young people to young people as well as role model activities;

•   Targeted awareness-raising and dissemination activities including information material and effective communication strategies;

•   Operational or policy recommendations in the field of education and training that are relevant to the objectives of the Council Recommendation on promoting common values, inclusive education, and the European dimension of teaching and of the Paris Declaration;

•   Supportive approaches and outreach practices addressing disadvantaged groups and newly arrived migrants and refugees.

 

 

2.1.2. Lot 2: Adult education: Networks and Partnerships of Adult Education Providers

 Adult Learning: “the term adult learning covers the entire range of formal, non- formal and informal learning activities — both general and vocational — undertaken by adults after leaving initial education and training.” (Renewed European Agenda for Adult Learning; OJ C 372, 20 December 2011).

- Network: An interconnected group or association of organisations, institutions or bodies that operates within the framework of a formal agreement or understanding.

The aim of this lot is to support projects that create or further develop transnational and national networks of adult education providers. These projects should help build up the capacity of Adult Education providers to implement European policy on adult learning at national and regional levels.

General objectives
Proposals should address one of the following three general objectives:

1. Within participating countries, help to establish new national or regional networks of adult education providers, and facilitate their involvement in European cooperation8;

or

2. Within participating countries, provide capacity-building support to existing national or regional networks of adult education providers, and improve their cooperation at European level;

or

3. Strengthen existing transnational networks of adult education providers by means of mutual learning, peer counselling, and capacity building.

Specific objectives
In addition, proposals should foster European cooperation between different providers (and relevant stakeholders), on either:

1. a)  Specific themes in adult learning (e.g. digital skills, literacy and numeracy, citizenship, career management skills, health literacy, personal finance, migrant integration, intergenerational learning, social inclusion ...); or

2. b)  Specific innovative pedagogical approaches in adult education (e.g. blended learning, personalised learning approaches, educational technologies...); or

3. c)  Specific adult education learner groups (e.g. adult education for seniors or for people in isolated rural areas, inactive people, prisoners...); or

Wherever possible, in each country, links should be established with the National Coordinator for adult learning and the national representative on the ET2020 Working Group on adult learning

4. d)  Specific organisational management themes (financial sustainability, building up local or regional networks, internationalisation, strategic, professional development of staff, communication and social media engagement etc.); or

5. e)  Specific models of Adult Education (e.g. folk high schools, ‘second chance’); or

6. f)  Adult education generally.

2.1.2.2. Key features of the projects submitted under the present lot

In line with the objective of Erasmus+ Key Action 3 to support policy reform, projects should demonstrate the capacity to generate impact not only on the partner organisations but also at the system level.

Proposals should include the following elements:

•   Context and rationale justifying the proposed actions, including the challenges to be addressed at local /regional/ national/ European level;

•   A clearly defined strategy for the establishment / capacity-building / strengthening of the network, a clear definition of the proposed structure of the network;

•   a detailed methodology based on a coherent set of work packages to implement this strategy;

•   Description of the methods used to evaluate the project, and clear indicators for monitoring it, which should be integral part of the project and should provide evidence on the effectiveness of the activities; and

•   Detailed plans for follow-up ensuring the network’s longer-term sustainability for at least three years after the project lifetime;

•   Anticipated long-term impact, for example:

  •   development of additional capacity or provision in the adult education sector;

  •   increased awareness, knowledge and understanding of the benefits of adult education in the relevant authorities, organisations and communities;

  •   increased awareness, motivation and competence of adult educational leaders and educators;

  •   active engagement of local and regional authorities and other key stakeholders in developing adult education provision;

  •   more widespread and effective tools to support education and training institutions and learning providers in developing provision for adult education.

Synergies with other projects are encouraged, including (on-going or completed) European projects on adult education, as are links with the relevant National Coordinators for implementing the European Agenda for Adult Learning and active engagement with the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe (EPALE).

 

2.1.2.3 Expected results

Projects should lead to concrete results such as:

•   new networks of adult education providers, that increase their impact at local level and cooperate effectively at European level;

•   more effective and impactful cooperation at European level by existing networks of adult education providers.

2.1.2.4 Examples of activities

Activities aimed at achieving the expected results listed above could include:

•   Connecting with other stakeholder groups and networks, etc., in order to overcome the fragmented nature of adult education and training provision;

•   Piloting, assessing, validating and sharing good practices for building capacity in adult education;

•   Adapting and applying capacity-building practices to new situations, organisations, or regions;

•   Training and other capacity-building activities (e.g. for staff of local or regional authorities, staff of civil society organisations, associations, etc.);

•   Developing and implementing the necessary legal and financial structures to establish sustainable long term cooperation in the network;

•   Developing evidence-based operational or policy recommendations that are relevant to Adult Education at national or European level.

 

3. TIMETABLE

a) Publication of the call

October 2019

b) Deadline for submitting applications

February, 25th 2020 at 5 p.m.

(CET/Brussels time)

c) Evaluation period

March – June 2020

d) Information to applicants

July - August 2020

e) Signature of grant agreement

September- November 2020

f) Starting date of the action

1st November or 1st December 2020 or 15th January 2021

 

 

4. BUDGET AVAILABLE

The total budget available for the co-financing of projects under the present call is 20.000.000 EUR allocated as follows:

•   Lot 1 – General education and training € 14,000,000

•   Lot 2 – Adult education € 6,000,000

  The financial contribution from the EU cannot exceed 80% of the total eligible project costs. The maximum grant per project will be:

  •   € 400,000 for projects of 24 months duration;

  •   € 500,000 for projects of 36 months duration.

    The Agency reserves the right not to distribute all the funds available.

 

5.ADMISSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

In order to be admissible, applications must be:

•   sent no later than the deadline for submitting applications referred to in Section 3;

•   submitted in typing (see section 14 of the present guidelines), using the application form and electronic submission system9 available at:

  https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/funding_en

  using the Call reference EACEA/34/2019 

•   drafted in one of the EU official languages (preferably in English, French or German).

Failure to comply with those requirements will lead to the rejection of the application.

The EACEA Helpdesk service is available from 08:30 to 17:30 Monday to Thursday and from 08:30 to 17:00 on Fridays (all times are Brussels time). The service is not available on Belgian public holidays or on official Commission holidays.
When contacting the Helpdesk, please have the following information to hand or include it in your email message: Your telephone number and your email address; The programme and funding opportunity you are applying under;

The following details for the computer that you are using to complete and submit your application: The version of Adobe Reader (or Adobe Acrobat) that is installed; The internet browser and version you are using; The operating system and version installed on the computer; Details of any error messages / error codes that you encountered; Screenshots of the problem (if contacting the Helpdesk by email)

 

 

6. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Applications which comply with the following criteria will be subject of an in-depth evaluation. The eligibility criteria will be assessed on the basis of the information provided in the application form.

6.1 Eligible applicants

Eligible applicants are public and private organisations active in the field of general education and training and adult education, or other socio-economic sectors or organisations carrying out cross-sector activities (e.g. cultural organisations, civil society, sport organisations, recognition centres, chambers of commerce, trade organisations, etc.).

If higher education institutions are involved, they must have been awarded an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE).

National Agencies or other structures and networks of the Erasmus+ Programme, receiving a direct grant from the Commission in accordance with the legal basis of the Erasmus+ Programme are not eligible to participate. Nevertheless, the legal entities hosting the Erasmus+ National Agencies or the structures and networks mentioned above are considered eligible applicants.

Entities affiliated to the applicants and natural persons are not eligible to receive funding under this Call for proposals.

Only applications from legal entities established in the following programme countries are eligible:

•   Member States of the European Union;

•   the EFTA/EEA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway;

•   EU candidate countries: North Macedonia, Turkey and Serbia.

For British applicants: Please be aware that eligibility criteria must be complied with for the entire duration of the grant. If the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU during the grant period without concluding an agreement with the EU ensuring in particular that British applicants continue to be eligible, you will cease to receive EU funding (while continuing, where possible, to participate) or be required to leave the project on the basis of Article II.17 of the grant agreement.

Proposals from applicants in candidate countries may be selected, if on the date of award, agreements have entered into force setting out the arrangements for the participation of those countries in the programme.

In order to assess the applicants' eligibility, the following supporting documents are requested via the Funding and Tender Portal (FTOP):

•   for a private entity: extract from the official journal, copy of articles of association, extract of trade or association register, certificate of liability to VAT (if, as in certain programme countries, the trade register number and VAT number are identical, only one of these documents is required); or a

•   Public entity: copy of the resolution, decision or other official document establishing the public- law entity;

•   Entities without legal personality: documents providing evidence that their representative(s) have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf.

•   Consortium: in addition to the supporting documents referring to their legal status, consortium members will submit letters confirming their participation to the project,

Associated partners: Additionally, the project may benefit from the involvement of associated partners. These organisations can contribute to the implementation of specific tasks /activities and/or support the dissemination and sustainability of the project. They will not benefit financially from the EU grant and associated partners can be established in either Programme or partner countries. For that purpose, applicants shall identify such associated partners in the 'Detailed Project Description' which is part of the Application Package.

Specific requirements by lot Lot 1:

The minimum partnership composition requirement for this lot is 4 eligible organisations from 4 different programme countries.

If networks are involved in the project, the consortium must include at least 2 organisations which are not members of the network(s) and the consortium has to represent at least 4 eligible countries.

Lot 2:

The minimum number of partners required for this lot is 4 eligible organisations from 4 different programme countries.

If one of the 4 organisations is an existing transnational network, the project must include at least 2 organisations that are not members of that network.

.

6.2 Eligible activities and project duration

Only activities taking place in Programme countries (see Section 6.1) will be considered eligible for funding. Any costs relating to activities undertaken outside these countries or by organisations that are not registered in the Programme countries are not eligible. Exceptionally and on case by case basis activities involving other countries than the Programme countries can be granted but must have the prior and specific authorization from the Executive Agency.

Activities must start either on 1 November or 1 December 2020 or 15 January 2021. The project duration must be 24 or 36 months.

 

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